


Snippets

by OnBrandPancakes



Series: To Hell & Back [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band), K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Pirates of the Caribbean Fusion, Angst, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Character Death, Gore, Historical Inaccuracy, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, Multi, Pirate AU, The Author Regrets Everything, Violence, a good balance of it, bullfuckery is expected, but never required, hehet - Freeform, mullet hj bc i said so, seonghwa is an unhinged mother, with a spatula
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:49:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28305594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnBrandPancakes/pseuds/OnBrandPancakes
Summary: To Hell & Back Snippetsthis is a part of the snippet series for my story. i haven’t decided whether or not to post it, so i’ll publish the snippets and see how they do! basically, i just wanna know if anyone’s interested :’)
Series: To Hell & Back [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2073162
Kudos: 6





	1. snippet: hongjoong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ:  
> ⚠️this snippet has a trigger warning for gore and graphic violence⚠️
> 
> not all of the snippets will have gore and violence, but ill put them whenever there are just in case. i hope u enjoy this :D

Another low grunt resonated in the cellar as Yunho threw punch after punch to his victim. He had long resorted to leather gloves since his knuckles were turning red. His face was splattered with blood, as were Changbin and Jongho's, who were in the corner catching their breath. The three had been trading out every so often to interrogate their prisoner for the past 2 hours, but they unfortunately found that the man simply wouldn't yield.

They had been growing weary of their situation. Changbin and Jongho were already losing hope of getting the man to talk, and Yunho was beginning to feel the same. The man resigned himself to being their punching bag and refused to cooperate. Mingi was also extremely annoyed at the man's reluctance.

Exhausted and eager to end things, Mingi did what the others couldn't and decided to nip their little problem in the bud. He went back to the ship, hauled himself on deck, and knocked on the Captain's cabin.

"Come in," the man said.

With only a moment of hesitation, Mingi opened the door, letting himself in and shuddered as it closed by itself with a thud. He took a short breath and looked up at the small man before him. Hongjoong sat at his mahogany desk, looking at ease despite having ordered his crew to torture a man mere hours ago. With his reading glasses sitting low on his nose, he immersed himself in whatever book he had spread before him with a glass of red wine in hand.

"Captain," Mingi greeted with a bow.

"Is the interrogation over?" he asked before flipping a page, "I would have thought it would have been finished sooner, what with Yunho in a mood today and all."

"Uh... Actually... It's not done."

"...What?"

Despite the calm voice he had, Mingi still flinched. Not because he was in any danger (quite the opposite, actually), but because he knew that once he broke the news to his Captain, he would snap. Although Mingi knew he would take his anger out on anyone but him, it was still overwhelming to see what would happen. Hongjoong was always unpredictable when angry.

"Well, uh... He's not talking. Yunho's been at it for hours. Jongho and Changbin had a go at him too, but he just won't say anything..."

Without another word, Hongjoong rose from his desk. He folded his reading glasses and walked out of his cabin with a neutral expression, not forgetting to grab his cutlasses on his way out.

~ °•...•° ~

The trip back to the cellar was quiet, with Hongjoong carrying his ever stoic expression, and Mingi too tense to start a conversation. It was a gift from Eurybia when they finally arrived at their destination. Unfazed by the sounds of pounding fists and pained grunts, Hongjoong threw open the door and slowly waltzed in, hands behind his back, with his calm demeanor never faltering. The crew—who knew what it meant for their Captain himself to come—stepped aside. As soon as Yunho backed away, Hongjoong began circling the man.

He was chained to the ceiling like a slab of meat, beaten to a pulp, and nearly 3 times larger than Hongjoong himself. On the battlefield, he must have been a sight to behold, but in his bloody, ragged state, he was simply another victim that didn't know when to quit.

"So... You think it's funny to cheat me out of my treasure? Hm?" He stopped pacing. "I don't."

"I don't know where it is," the man rasped.

"Lies."

"It's the tru—" he was silenced as Hongjoong drew his dagger and dug the point of it into the man's mouth.

"You should stop while you still have a working jaw."

At this point, the man was shaking, and it wasn't because Hongjoong started digging the tip in deeper. The man's fear mixed with the taste of blood. Tears streamed down his face as Hongjoong dragged the blade across the top of his mouth.

"Do you want to tell me now?" He said calmly. He looked up from his blade to see the man glaring at him.

"I guess that's a no, then."

He took the blade out and jammed his tiny hand into the man's mouth, wrapping his fingers around his tongue and squeezing ever so slightly. He looked with feline curiosity as the man gagged and struggled. He slowly reached his fingers down until his hand was wrist-deep before using the other to hold the man's face still.

"Tell me what I want, or I'll rip it out. You have one chance." He slowly removed his now wet hand and summoned whatever patience he had left while the man sputtered and caught his breath..

"I-It's in a cave on the other side of the island!!" The man wheezed, "26 paces in, you'll see a boulder resting against the wall, the gold is buried on the other side! Now please!! Let me go, _I'm so—"_

The man never finished his sentence. Hongjoong ran his cutlass through his throat, muttering a thank you before ripping it out and beheading him.

"Everyone back to the Treasure, we have our heading," he said as he cleaned the blood from his blade.

_"Aye, Captain!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhhh can u hear me crying over my laptop?? cos i can-
> 
> i hope u enjoyed it! pls tell me what u think :D  
> can u tell i’m new at this-  
> also, i forgot to post the link to the background info for this fic, i suggest reading so u know what’s goin on. it’s found under the series :)  
> \- spencer
> 
> song recs if u want them:
> 
> natural - imagine dragons  
> adios - everglow  
> do or die - alexa


	2. snippet: wooyoung

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Hell & Back Snippets
> 
> this is a part of the snippet series for my story. i haven’t decided whether or not to post it, so i’ll publish the snippets and see how they do! basically, i just wanna know if anyone’s interested :’)

"Just think about it: Felix! With a beard! That's awesome!!"

"That's terrible!! Why would you say that??"

"Because it's true!!"

"Woo, never in life will I let Felix grow a beard."

"Are you mad because Felix might grow a stubble before you?"

"By Eurybia, I won't let this slide and neither will Chan."

"Maybe you won't, but if I can convince San to come outside, then there's no reason I can't convince Felix to put down the razor for a month or two!"

Mingi had been itching to lay his slim fingers on his pistol and fire for the past 30 minutes, and Wooyoung had been testing his patience with no end in sight. Wooyoung was a level of insane that even he couldn't handle. Pranks on the crew was one thing, but convincing Felix to grow a beard was a whole other, and he'd be damned if he woke up one day and saw the boy with the makings of a stubble.

"Wooyoung, think about this," he said, forcing his hand away from the gun, "It's _Felix_. With a _beard_. How is that a good idea??"

"Oh my sweet, dumbass of a quartermaster. Because of one simple thing," he said with a smirk, "Your face when you see it would be priceless!"

The first gunshot rang out, and Wooyoung began scurrying up the ratlins, howling like a hyena as he barely dodged a bullet that whizzed past his shoulder. He had finally gotten Mingi to snap, and the young Quartermaster was now scowling playfully and firing round after round, trying to shoot the pesky little man above him down from the mast.

"You missed again!! I'm starting to think all those Reds you 'shot' were really just playing dead!"

"Oh, I'll show you _dead_! Just hold still!!"

Without looking away, Mingi took out his other pistol, as if by instinct, and continued to fire at Wooyoung with a smile.

"Watch where you're shooting!" Felix yelled from the Crow's Nest.

Wooyoung shrieked in laughter, drawing the attention of the rest of the crew. One by one, the men paused their daily duties to watch the spectacle above them, laughing along and placing bets on how long it would be before Seonghwa stepped in to stop them.

It had been 3 days since the Treasure left the rough ports of Tortuga, and the crew had been in battle after battle, narrowly slipping through the Navy's _constrictive_ grasp. Everyone was feeling more than a tad tense, and Mingi was one of the unlucky souls who were taking the brunt of the heavy atmosphere. With their newfound game of cat and mouse with the Reds, Wooyoung had dearly missed their friendly shoot-outs.

It took several pranks, a risky operation involving a canon, 7 forks, 2 bananas, and a small fire, and the threat of Felix with peach fuzz to finally get Mingi to snap, and Wooyoung was determined to have his fun with him until both of those pistols were empty.

"You're really bad at this, ya know."

He had paused his seemingly endless bobbing and weaving around the ropes to dangle from the mainsail as Mingi paused to reload.

"Oh yeah? And you're a little shi-"

_"Mingi!!"_

"Fuck."

Mingi turned around and was met with a livid Seonghwa and a disappointed Yeosang stomping toward him. He knew that he was in deep shit when he saw Seonghwa holding his favorite spatula with a scowl so deep that he could picture the crease marks that would appear in 10 years. His attention soon went back to Wooyoung, however, who was just a few feet above him, and failing miserably at hiding his giggles.

"Stop trying to shoot Wooyoung!"

"But he started it!!"

"And I don't give a damn. You should know better!"

"M'kay.."

"What was that??" Seonghwa scowled once more as he gave a warning tap to Mingi's head with his spatula.

He rolled his eyes, and gave a half-hearted "Yessir."

Seonghwa gave an approving nod before turning his attention to Wooyoung, who was hiding behind the sails.

"You come out too."

"Me?" he asked innocently.

"Yes, you." Yeosang stepped in, "I told you to quit your shit."

"But it's so fun!!"

He was now swinging from the ropes, watching with a mischievous smile as Yeosang shook his head.

"Instead of tempting Mingi to waste his gunpowder, why don't you be constructive and help Felix in the Crows Nest, hm? Two lookouts are better than one, but you already know that."

"No need to be so snippy about it" he said, starting his trek back to the Nest with a small frown.

"You should be thanking me" he muttered, glancing up, "it was either me or Seonghwa to bark at you, and Hwa was gonna bring out his soup spoon instead of the spatula."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk if i'm satisfied with this one, but ehhhh-   
> wooyoung is my definition of the ">:D" emoticon, so hopefully this showed that a lil bit  
> -spencer 
> 
> song recs if u want them:
> 
> boys will be bugs - cavetown  
> naughty boy - pentagon  
> lost in translation - logic


	3. snippet: san

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Hell & Back Snippets
> 
> this is a part of the snippet series for my story. i haven’t decided whether or not to post it, so i’ll publish the snippets and see how they do! basically, i just wanna know if anyone’s interested :’)

"You can't possibly believe that! Isolation has physical drawbacks to a person as well! Even if it's for a small, fixed amount of time, total isolation will impact a person's physical _and_ mental health. It's not all in their fucking head!"

San nodded as Jeongin refilled his cup of tea. He listened with amusement as Yeosang gave rebuttal after rebuttal to his argument, and smirked because he still hadn't realized the main point that he was making in the first place.

"Actually," he said, adjusting his glasses, "I never said that isolation didn't affect one's physical and mental health, I said that ' _a person's mental health will deteriorate if left in an isolated environment for a continuous amount of time, but the physical health would not be impacted as much'_. If one's mentality is unyielding, their physical health will take longer to fall apart since being sound of mind is the epitome of self-care."

"That's impossible-"

"Doctor," Jeongin sighed, "I would trust San's opinion."

"He's spewing dog-shit! Physical health is a whole other factor of the human body! You can't throw mental health in with it! They're two contrasting aspects, and as such, they would be impacted differently and separately by isolation! His argument has no fucking premise."

San took a sip of his drink before sighing. He and Yeosang would have these little debates almost every week, and whenever Yeosang started cursing, he knew that he was feeling cornered, but never wanted to admit it. So, as per routine, San finished off his tea and left the infirmary to get a book out of his and Hongjoong's shared office to settle the debate once and for all.

Although it always seemed that San was annoyed by their weekly quarrels, he actually enjoyed them. He would never admit it, but he truly did look forward to his visits to the infirmary, especially after the hard days at sea that came before. Arguing with someone may not seem like a fun way to spend an afternoon or two, but to San, watching Yeosang back himself into a corner was the best kind of entertainment, and Jeongin making his favorite herbal tea was an added bonus he would never get tired of.

Yeosang also looked forward to when the navigator would visit his office (even though he acted like he fucking hated him). San never failed to entertain him. To Yeosang, San was one of the only people on the Treasure that he could have such conversations with and enjoy them, despite usually losing their debates (And even when he won, San didn't make his victory's very satisfying. In Yeosang's words: "He's too fucking smug about it! Even when he loses. Fucking take your loss you colossal cluster fu—").

San emerged from the infirmary, shielding his eyes from the sun's harsh rays as he scanned the deck and saw the crew hard at work as always. He slowly made his way across the deck, smiling at the crew in greeting and going to chat with those who were taking short water breaks. As he reached the mainmast, he stopped and realized the grave mistake he made.

He paused his conversation with Yunho and started running as fast as he could away from the masts. He had the helm in sight, but as he dodged yet another busy body, he looked down in horror. A shadow was following him, and getting larger by the second. He looked between the shadow and his temporary freedom, but knew in his heart it would catch him before he could escape. And so, accepting his fate, he turned around and waited for the inevitable.

"Three, two, o—"

_"Sannie!"_

Wooyoung crashed into him with no remorse, using San's chest as a cushion for his fall.

"You didn't come see me! I've been waiting for you to leave the infirmary!"

San smacked Wooyoung's ass and wheezed. He realized that he was still crushing San, and rolled off so the man could breathe.

"Sorry," he said with a sheepish smile.

"No you are not."

Wooyoung laughed in response and helped San to his feet. The boys launched into a conversation almost immediately, with Wooyoung telling San about how he finally got Mingi to play with him again.

"Wait, wait, wait... Did you _actually_ convince Felix to grow a beard??"

"Not yet," he smirked, "but he'll cave soon enough..."

"Do I need to tell you how awful that would be? Or should I get Mingi to shoot at you again?"

San rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses as Wooyoung doubled over in laughter, wheezing about how he would love to see Mingi's face when the beard sets in.

"If anything, he'll just be jealous that Felix grew one faster than him!"

"Mingi shaves, though—"

"We both know that's a lie."

They held onto each other and laughed. As Wooyoung lost his balance and fell to the deck, San opened his eyes to see that the sky was darker than when he left the infirmary. He dashed over to the side of the ship and took a look around.

He closed his eyes and took in the strong, earthy scent of approaching rain. The wind was getting stronger, and the clouds above were not the pearly white they once were. As he listened to the sea, tuning out the sounds of the bustling crew around him, he heard the distant sound of thunder, and snapped his eyes open immediately.

"What's wrong, Sannie?"

"A storm is coming..."

Wooyoung's smile faltered. "How big?" he asked.

"Well, it'll certainly be nothing to laugh at..."

They shared a quick glance before Wooyoung scurried up the ratlins and plopped into the Crows Nest. He snatched up the spyglass and peered around, pausing and inspecting upon seeing the black and gray storm clouds rolling in fast from the West.

_"All hands!!!"_

Wooyoung swung down from the Nest with word of the storm as San ran to the Captain's cabin. He stopped to knock, but entered almost immediately after.

"Captain!!"

Hongjoong jolted upright and swiftly hid a bottle behind his back. He slowly inched away from his wine cabinet and said, "San! You look distraught, is everything alright?"

"There's a storm coming! Didn't you know?"

"Oh, that! Yes, I knew."

"Hm... you knew. Yes, that's great, and all but _we're heading right for it."_

"Yes, I know that, too... Is there a problem?"

San stood there. Stupid. He had never seen Hongjoong so nonchalant about a storm, especially one as large as this. Any respectable sailor knew that no matter how small the storm, it had the potential to cause damage. Whether it be a crew member thrown overboard, or a rip in the sail, no storm should be taken lightly.

"Captain, is this some sort of joke?"

"No, I do not think so."

He shrugged as he took out two wine glasses.

"Would you like some?" he smiled.

" _Captain!_ "

"Alright! _Alright!_ "

Hongjoong put the second wine glass back in its place and sat down at his desk, slowly pouring himself a drink as San tapped his foot. He didn't want to rush his Captain, but the fact that the one supposed to be steering the ship is savoring a cup of wine as they sailed headfirst into a storm was more than a tad alarming.

"We are sailing into the storm because there is something in the center waiting for us," he said, taking a long sip from his glass, "Eurybia gave me a very peculiar dream last night..."

"You want us to sail into the eye of the storm??"

"Yes, I do. Can you take us there?"

"Of course I can take us there, but it won't be easy."

~ °•...•°~

And so the Treasure braved the storm, creaking and groaning against the harsh winds and rough waves. It sailed through the darkness of the storm, riding through the ferocious sea. Hongjoong stood at the helm, guiding the vessel towards his prize.

He kept a knowing eye on the storm, guiding it over and around the waves. His whole body was alive with adrenaline. He could feel every twitch of muscle, every nerve, every rock of the ship, and felt every turn and change in direction he made to The Treasure.

The wind felt like blades dancing across their flesh, and the rain fell like bullets from the heavens. The crisp, cold drops pierced the bustling crew's skin as they tugged and wrestled with the ropes, and strained their muscles to keep their ship afloat. Mingi was down below on deck, keeping the crew moving, yelling out commands in his Captain's place, and fighting alongside the men.

Hongjoong gave a shrill laugh when the ship rose above the water, riding atop a particularly large wave, but stifled his voice so he could listen to his Navigator.

San stood beside his Captain. Having memorized the surrounding area, he was reading the storm like a book, guiding his Captain's steady hand closer and closer to the eye of the storm. "Hard to starboard, Captain!" San screamed through the harsh winds, "There'll be a cluster of rocks ahead of where we are!"

"Aye! _All hands!! Hard to Starboard!!_ "

_"Aye, Captain!"_

As the crew worked below, Felix climbed up the ratlins, taking refuge in the Crows Nest.

_"Approaching 13 knots!!"_ he yelled from the Nest.

"Captain, we can't maneuver around! We're going too fast, we need to furl the sails!!"

"We will sail through it, then!"

Hongjoong looked to the sky with a challenging smirk, while his navigator wore a horrified expression.

"Can you take us there?" he looked from the sea to his trusted navigator, and smiled when he saw his determined eyes meet his gaze.

"I can't exactly throw myself overboard with you staring at my ass," he smirked, "so I guess I'll stay."

Hongjoong looked back and faced the sea with confidence knowing that his ever resourceful navigator was ready to take him to the eye.

_"All hands make more sail!!"_

With unshakable trust in their navigator, and a steady grip on the ropes, ATEEZ sailed deeper into the restless storm. With San as their map, and their Captain guiding their vessel, they approached the eye of the storm with unwavering certainty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeyeyeyeyeyeyeye i'm still not super confident with this one either, but beggars can't be choosers i guess. I do enjoy writing yeosang though. i gave him a foul mouth because i'm a self indulgent lil shit, but wbk >:D  
> i hope u enjoyed :) have a great dayyyyy  
> \- spencer
> 
> song recs if u want them: 
> 
> promise - ateez  
> sunflower - post malone & swae lee  
> when can i see you again? - owl city


	4. snippet: yunho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Hell & Back Snippets
> 
> this is a part of the snippet series for my story. i haven’t decided whether or not to post it, so i’ll publish the snippets and see how they do! basically, i just wanna know if anyone’s interested :’)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ:  
> ⚠️this snippet has a trigger warning for gore and graphic violence⚠️

The newest captive of the Treasure looked up to see that the Master Gunner had opened and closed the cell door, not bothering to lock it behind him. He carried no weapon, and a daunting smile danced across his lips. His eyes, however, were cold and dead and struck a newfound fear in the pitiful man that lay chained to the floor.

"Hello" he said with a hum, crouching down to the captive's level, "I'm Yunho."

"M-Minjun" he replied.

"Minjun, huh? That's a nice name! So, Minjun, can you please tell me where the map is?"

"I... I can't"

"Why not?" he whined.

Minjun lowered his head further, wanting nothing more than to disappear. Yunho's smile faltered at the man's response (or lack thereof).

"Fine then," he sighed, "If that's how you want it to be."

Yunho raised his leg in one swift motion, and slammed his foot onto the side of Minjun's head, grinding down and crushing his nose and jaw against the floor. Minjun let out a muffled scream as a crunching sound was heard. He felt blood stream down and mix with the puddle of tears that had formed, and looked through fearful, blurry eyes as Yunho smiled at his pain. He did everything in his power to free himself so he could, at the very least, beg for his life properly.

He writhed under the Gunner's boot and yanked at his chains. After a while, when he noticed the growing puddle of blood on the floor, Yunho got the message and switched their position, settling instead to hold his captive's jaw in a death grip.

Minjun gazed helplessly at the man before him, who's friendly demeanor had long fallen, and was replaced with the aura of a killer, with eyes that were the same as before: cold and dead.

"Now then!" he smiled, "About that map!"

~ °•...•°~

Yunho arrived back on deck a bit later with blood on his boots and hands. He strut across the deck, basking in the glowing rays of sunlight and breathing in the smell of the sea. The bustling crew around him pulled and wrestled with the ropes. The sound of twisting rigging was overpowered by Wooyoung, Chan, and Jisung singing loudly as they worked.

_..._

_geonbae geonbae_

_i sungan tteugeoun taeyang araeeseo_

_go away, go away_

_mangseorimeun beoryeo da_

_mangseorimeun beoryeo da_

_..._

"Hakuna matata ya," he hummed with the crew as he walked past the mast.

He reached into his pocket, retrieving a handkerchief, and began cleaning himself as best he could as he made his way to the Captain's cabin, only stopping once or twice to chat with some of the crew on his way there.

Everyone was tense because of their captives' fixed reluctance to give the location of the map, but when they saw Yunho emerge from the brig with a smile, they all breathed a sigh of relief. As his thoughts drifted to the sad little man below, Yunho hummed to himself with a small smile, thinking of Jungho' adorable expression when he broke his nose.

Never a dull moment. He stifled a chuckle and knocked on Hongjoong's cabin.

"Come in."

Yunho opened the door and smiled when he saw Mingi there as well, who sent a short wave back before asking, "Do we have a heading?"

"Mhm! The map is just a few miles west of here, buried on the southern side of the island's beach, 17 paces from the cave near the forest."

"Thank you, Yunho. He was being so uncooperative I was considering having him flogged..." Hongjoong said.

"Anytime!"

"Oh! And Yunho..."

"Yes?" He turned to face his Captain once more.

"You missed a spot—you still have blood on your cheek."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aksnlskbdtakjjmk i'm sorry i didn't wanna make him that sadistic but this is self indulgent so i just went with what came to mind. this was also written during a bad bit of writers block, so if it's fucked up it's fucked up i guess-  
> lemme know what u think :)  
> \- spencer
> 
> song recs if u want them:
> 
> wave - ateez  
> mr. loverman - ricky montgomery  
> filter - jimin of bts


	5. snippet: seonghwa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Hell & Back Snippets
> 
> this is a part of the snippet series for my story. i haven’t decided whether or not to post it, so i’ll publish the snippets and see how they do! basically, i just wanna know if anyone’s interested :’)

"Hello."

Minjun stirred from his tired slumber at the sound of a gentle voice. It was sweet, and sounded much kinder than any he had heard before. It wasn't swelled with venom and artificial kindness. It was genuine, and might as well have been music to his ears in his state of mind.

He was beaten, bruised, and sore. Mind, body, and soul. Once Yunho (who he was now deathly afraid of) left his cell, he replayed the events that happened leading up to his broken jaw, busted forehead, split lip, and various other gruesome injuries that he suffered from. His beaten, dirty face was further stained with tears. Though he wanted desperately to hide them, to wipe away his torn pride, his wrists were cuffed and sore. And so, as he slowly lifted his head to see the man's face, he had to wear his new scars with what little scraps of pride he had left.

As his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he could make out the blood on the floor of his grimy cell, the silhouettes of barrels and chains that adorned the walls around him, and the bars that separated him from a man he had never seen or spoken to.

"My name is Seonghwa," he said, "I'm the cook."

The man, who he now recognized as Seonghwa, knelt before him and slowly slid a plate of hot food toward him.

_A cruel temptation,_ he thought. He might as well be in a siren's den. What he desired was right in front of him, but he could do nothing to satisfy himself. In his current state, he couldn't even manage to lick the remains from the floor should the plate tip over.

He looked to Seonghwa with sunken eyes, and his face lit up upon realizing his mistake. He bowed his head before turning away from the sorry prisoner, and stepping onto the main deck.

Minjun was once again alone in the belly of the Treasure, with nothing but the skeleton of another unfortunate prisoner and his own thoughts to keep him company. He was able to take a momentary glimpse of more pale moonlight that shone through when Seonghwa opened the latch that led to the main deck. Something more to dangle in his face: a way out of hell. Many of his fingers were broken, so he couldn't pick the locks on his chains or the cell door, and even if he could, he wouldn't get terribly far in his escape attempt since he would have to drag his twisted ankle across the ship to a longboat. Minjun retreated into his mind with a winded sigh, but looked up when moonlight made its way into his cell again, illuminating the strong outline of Seonghwa.

He walked over to Minjun's cell and unlocked the door, letting himself inside before shutting it again. He didn't flinch as he glided across the dirty floor, and his face showed no signs of disgust at the prominent smell of blood. Minjun shuttered slightly when Seonghwa kneeled in the pool of red with a gentle smile, as if the results of torture was something normal and mundane.

"Try some. I promise it's not poison."

Minjun shifted his attention to the spoon of delicious, warm soup that Seonghwa held out for him. It cut through his clouded senses like a knife, and his stomach growled in response. Desperate to taste something other than iron in his mouth, he moved his jaw as best he could, and allowed Seonghwa to put the food in his mouth and tilt his head up so he could swallow. The soup melted in his mouth and his eyes watered at the taste. He truly felt as though he was eating liquid gold. Whether it was from exhaustion or starvation, he didn't know or care.

Seonghwa gave a low chuckle seeing Minjun's eyes light up as the soup traveled down his throat. He seemed so satisfied from just one bite, but shifted his eyes between the bowl and his face—a silent plea for more. He obliged and gave a bigger spoonful to the man, being as gentle as possible as to not cause him any more pain.

"M' sorry about the food I brought before," he mumbled, feeding him another spoon of soup, "I had no idea your jaw was broken..."

Seonghwa looked between the now strangely content prisoner's eyes and his bloody face.

"Are you feeling any better from before? You were passed out for almost 6 hours..."

Minjun tried to form some kind of response, but could only manage a hoarse, barely recognizable no, followed by a broken whimper.

"Ah! I'm just all over the place today!" He said, running a hand through his hair, "Rest your jaw, don't try to speak."

Seonghwa looked down at the empty bowl of soup and found that the captive was already half asleep.

"I'll leave you to rest then," he said, rising from his spot with blood stains on his pants and boots and locking the cell door behind him, despite knowing that their captive wouldn't be able to so much as touch the bars, no matter how much he struggled.

~ °•...•°~

It was in the early hours of the morning when Minjun stirred from sleep once more. Through hazy vision, he once again saw Seonghwa descending the steps from the main deck. He carried a bowl of soup in one hand, and cup of water in the other, and was followed by another man who he had never seen before. 

Seonghwa gave Minjun a small smile (one that he was not able to return) and opened the cell door, letting himself and the other man inside. Unlike Seonghwa, who's eyes looked to the prisoner with regard and kindness, the man that followed had sharp features, and even sharper eyes. It was clear that he had no trust in the prisoner. But when this thought came to Minjun's mind, he wondered if and why Seonghwa trusted him at all.

Just as before, Seonghwa lowered himself onto the grimy floor and fed Jungho spoon after spoon of his delicious soup. After he was satisfied with his fill, and both the cup and bowl were empty, Seonghwa drew the man's attention to the downcast figure tucked away in the opposite corner of the cell.

"This is Yeosang, our Doctor. I know he looks intimidating, but he came here to see to your injuries."

Minjun perked his head up at this and looked to Yeosang with a questioning gaze.

"Don't get too happy," he sneered, "I'm only doing patchwork. I'm not wasting our more valuable resources on you."

"Yeosang, be nice."

"I _am_ being nice. I'm here aren't I? I could be doing stock checks or rearranging the medicine shelves, but instead I'm helping this low life."

Seonghwa rolled his eyes as Yeosang continued to complain, but still addressed what wounds he found could be treated quickly.

"Think of this as practice! No one's gotten injured in about a while! So this will keep you on your toes!"

"I'll have you know that I'm _always_ on my toes," he snapped back, not taking his eyes away from Minjun's broken fingers.

Minjun phased in and out of reality while the two continued to go back and forth with each other, occasionally stirring when he felt pain from the treatment, but then zoning out again almost immediately. However, as Yeosang began examining his ankle, their conversation sparked his interest. "... Our next stop is in 5 days and you want me to play nurse maid with a prisoner."

"Well, _you're here, aren't you?"_ he cackled, feeding Yeosang's words back to him.

Yeosang rose from the floor with a scowl before packing up his supplies.

"Starting from the top: he has a slight concussion, a broken nose, a few missing teeth, and a dislocated jaw—not a broken one—that I popped back into place. Numerous nasty bruises, a sprained ankle, and 2 broken fingers on each hand. I expected Yunho to go harder, but I suppose you're just the talking type," he smirked at that before continuing, "I'm not coming back down to treat you, so don't do anything stupid."

With that, Yeosang made his way up to the main deck with Seonghwa following behind, sparing a small smile to Minjun.

...

Despite the Doctor's warning, Minjun did, in fact, do something stupid.

~°•...•°~

"Minjun! How's your jaw feeling? Can you talk?"

Minjun woke up a few hours later to the sounds of Seonghwa's melodic voice and the groans of a metal door as it swung open. He opened his eyes to find a spoon in front of him and Seonghwa's kind face looking at him with concern. As Minjun enjoyed his soup, there was one thought that sat at the back of his mind: There's no way someone like him chose to be a Pirate.

And so, as Seonghwa moved to collect the bowl and cup and leave the cell, Minjun summoned what strength he had and spoke in a scratchy, tired voice:

"Why are you so kind to me..?"

Seonghwa's eyes bulged out of his head upon hearing the man speak. Although he asked questions, he didn't expect the man to have enough energy to talk. He closed the cell door and lowered himself once again to Minjun's level.

"I have a bad habit of helping captives... The Captain respects my wishes, and let's me do as I please as long as I don't go too far."

Minjun briefly wondered what going 'too far' meant, and whether he had crossed that line before or not, but decided it would be a waste of his limited energy. He instead decided to get to the point and ask the main question on his mind before his throat gave out.

"Are you a captive as well?" he whispered.

Seonghwa stilled at his question, but not for the reason Minjun might have thought—or wanted. If Minjun's vision hadn't been so blurry from fatigue, or if he hadn't looked away from Seonghwa's face, he would have seen the twisted smile that crept across his lips.

Minjun closed his eyes and once again found himself drifting to sleep, but before he could completely shut down, he heard Seonghwa say:

_"Yes, I am."_

~°•...•°~

For the next 3 days, Minjun spent his seemingly endless time in the cell in and out of consciousness, regaining his strength, and talking with Seonghwa about his life on the Treasure. Their topics of conversation would range anywhere from Seonghwa's daily tasks to the members of the crew. The Captain was a frequent topic for the two (or at least for Minjun).

Seonghwa obliged to whatever Minjun asked, as he was the one who asked questions and Seonghwa answered them. Throughout their talks, Seonghwa would feed him his soup in peace, taking small breaks for Minjun to ask his questions.

"Seonghwa?" he asked.

Seonghwa hummed in response as he fed another spoon of soup to Minjun.

"I need to get out of here."

Seonghwa paused his movements as he took a moment to process the man's statement (not question). Once again, Minjun's natural instinct to look down at the floor made him miss the small smirk that made its way to Seonghwa's lips. However, even if he had held his head high, Seonghwa's menacing smile would have left his features in the blink of an eye to be replaced with a look of feigned surprise, as if he wasn't waiting for Minjun to begin this conversation.

"I hope you realize the Captain isn't going just to let you go."

"Why get the Captain's permission when you can help me escape?"

"Mjnjun, even if I do get you out of this cell, you wouldn't make it halfway across the ship without passing out! Forget getting to a Navy town!"

"You don't know what I can do! _I'm in chains!!"_

Seonghwa set the bowl aside as he waited for Minjun to recollect himself, while preparing for whatever sappy reason he had for needing to live. He had been expecting him to negotiate (more so, guilt trip) his way out of the cell, but he certainly didn't expect it to be this soon.

"Seonghwa, please," he whispered, snapping him out of his trance, "I have a wife and a beautiful daughter... They need me. I would have thought you wouldn't be so heartless as to ignore a man in need. One that's begging at your knees. You may not have a chance of escape, but I do. And I intend to take it. Surely you don't want your kindness to be in vain? For me to die in this grimy cell??"

Minjun looked to Seonghwa with hopeful eyes, searching desperately for any sign of sympathy, or even pity, but found only a blank face. In reality, Seonghwa was holding in what he thought would look like a mix of a scowl and hysterical laughter if he lost concentration. He did his best to hold in his reaction since it surely wouldn't be a flattering look.

Seonghwa composed himself at last and said, "In two days time, we'll be stopping at an island not too far from a Navy port. I can help you escape during the night, but we must act quickly. If the Captain finds out what happened, we'll both be keelhauled."

With that, Seonghwa left the cell with the remainder of the soup and a half empty cup of water.

~°•...•°~

Two days later, as promised, the crew made a stop at an island due west of a Navy port to restock any supplies they needed. While the crew left the ship in groves that night, Seonghwa snuck below deck to Minjun's cell and began the promised journey to his freedom.

They snuck past Chan, Wooyoung, and Minho, who were on watch duty that night, and made their way to the side of the ship to steal a longboat. After hauling Minjun into the boat (which was difficult considering the man could barely walk), Seonghwa spent a disquieted three minutes lowering the boat down into the water, and then himself down into the boat.

At long last, Seonghwa began rowing down to the beach with Minjun hidden under a tarp. Although he looked over his shoulder every thirty seconds, Seonghwa was confident he could make it to the beach before the crew got back from town. However, that didn't stop the anxious sigh that escaped his lips when he finally pulled ashore at the beach, where the two were out of sight from the Treasure.

"It's safe to come out," he said.

Seonghwa watched with amusement as Minjun worked his way out from under the tarp. He looked like a shifty little rat—cautious and wary of anything and everything that may shuffle out of the shadows, and more than ready to escape at the drop of a hat.

Minjun stumbled out of the boat and balanced himself on his healthy foot. Once he was sure he had a good balance, he looked at his surroundings with admiration. Seonghwa thought he resembled a child seeing candy, or a cat finally catching its prey.

"Thank you, Seonghwa," he said, breathing in the smell of the sea and fresh air.

Seonghwa bowed his head in response before jumping in surprise when Minjun squeezed his shoulders. He looked at the man and saw that his eyes truly were alight with joy.

"Come with me," he whispered, "You can escape ATEEZ! You can be free again! You don't have to be a prisoner. I know you don't truly like it there, and I'm sure there's a reason why they keep you there, but this is your chance to leave and live a right life!"

...

"Are you done now?"

Minjun backed away slowly, barely able to stand from his shaky knees. His eyes flicked between Seonghwa's now cold, stoic face and the pistol he aimed at his head. His mind was running a mile a second, but the only thing he could question was why. He didn't understand why Seonghwa would point the gun at him, and what he did to deserve it.

"S-seonghwa?" Minjun called out, keeping his eyes on the barrel, "why are you..."

"Holding a loaded gun to your skull? Well, it just seemed like the fastest way to shut you up. And seeing how you're frozen in fear, I'd say it's working splendidly!"

"Seonghwa... I know you don't want to—"

Seonghwa's patience was at its end, and his trigger finger worked on its own. By the time he came back to his senses, Minjun was on the ground, rolling in the sand and clutching his arm in pain. Although his body was acting on instinct alone when he pulled the trigger, Seonghwa didn't regret his actions in the slightest.

"You really are a pitiful little man, aren't you?" he spoke, watching Minjun continue trying to stop the blood flow, "All it took was a few kicks and punches for you to spill everything. Someone trusted you with those secrets, and you held more regard for your life than the trust and honor that came with them," Seonghwa paused to kneel in front of the quivering man, "I want you to know that we would've never let you live, regardless of if you told us what we wanted."

"We..?" Minjun grunted.

"Yes. _We_. Did you truly believe that I was a prisoner?" he smiled, "If I wanted to escape, I could've done so years ago. I got you out, didn't I?"

"But... but you—"

Seonghwa fired again (this time at the man's thigh), rolling his eyes as he listened to the man's cries of pain.

"Let's speed this up; I need to be back by sunrise."

Minjun continued to cry and Seonghwa continued to roll his eyes.

"Your first mistake was thinking that I came down there because I pitied you. I came down there because Seungmin convinced me to feed your ass and I was feeling nostalgic.

"Your second mistake was assuming that I was being held against my will because a true Pirate isn't capable of _sympathy_."

"You! Y-you said that you're a prisoner!!"

"Oh yes... I lied," Seonghwa smirked a bit before continuing, "I never said that I was being blackmailed or restrained, and you certainly never saw me in chains. I am loyal to my Captain and my Captain alone. Hopefully in your next life you won't mistake kindness for weakness."

Just as Seonghwa expected, Minjun died with his head down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yEeEeeEeeEeeeEeee i love this one, i hope u did :D anygays, have a good day and drink some water!!!  
> \- spencer
> 
> song recs if u want them: 
> 
> holiday - lil nas x  
> exodus - exo  
> don't recall - kard


	6. snippet: yeosang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Hell & Back Snippets
> 
> this is a part of the snippet series for my story. i haven’t decided whether or not to post it, so i’ll publish the snippets and see how they do! basically, i just wanna know if anyone’s interested :’)

"You little fucking _shit_! The sage goes with the dry herbs!!"

"You don't treat a fucking burn with cough medicine! Read the goddamn label!"

_"You absolute clusterfuck—"_

~°•...•°~

Jeongin collapsed into his bed, finally getting the chance to breath after what felt like a century, though in reality it was only a day. As he laid his head back, letting his body follow suit and plop down onto his pillow, he couldn't help but remember the events of the day.

Jisung and Changbin had an accident with the cannons that resulted in a very public scolding from the Captain and quite a few burns on their arms. When Yeosang made it clear that Jeongin was to treat them himself, he panicked and almost used up the last few spoonfuls of their cough medicine on 2nd degree burns. This resulted in Yeosang exploding at him and treating the poor men himself.

Jeongin was admittedly inexperienced as a Doctor, and required guidance. When ATEEZ took them in, he was grateful he wouldn't have to be the only medic on the ship like he was with Stray Kids. Because he was prone to panicking, his previous crew barely scraped by with him in the infirmary.

He felt utterly useless knowing that someone of far greater skill took a place that he thought was never truly his, and also felt a great sense of guilt. A complete stranger was taking care of his family while he watched from the sidelines wallowing in self pity.

It took Chan, his former Captain, taking a bullet for him during a battle with enemy pirates for him to draw the line. That night, as Yeosang cleaned the infirmary after finishing Chan's operation, Jeongin came, teary eyed and determined. He begged Yeosang to take him under his wing and teach him all that he knew. It took three days and three nights for Yeosang to cave, but it was worth every second for Jeongin.

This was about two months ago, when Jeongin was still learning about herbs he didn't know existed. He immersed himself in Hongjoong and San's vast collection of medical books and knowledge. Though the basics are still a work in progress, Jeongin could already feel the gravity of his position weighing down on him.

Though, perhaps it wasn't his position, but rather his environment. Yeosang's words of 'encouragement' weren't very contributing to growth, especially to someone like Jeongin, who wasn't used to hearing words from sharp tongues. His master has a habit of somehow squeezing fuck into every sentence he says, and when he's getting lectured, the brunt of it starts to take effect.

Jeongin stared up at the ceiling. He was feeling almost as useless as he did when he saw Chan get shot. In reality, he was a completely different medic than he was just two short months ago. He had grown volumes, but Yeosang's belittlement of his abilities and his constant criticism stigmatized the obvious growth Jeongin had made.

His vision became blurry as he withdrew himself into his thoughts. The only thing he could make sense of were the soft sniffles he would let out every so often. He was so gone that he didn't notice the door of his cabin open, nor his master's presence when he entered the room.

"By Eurybia, you look like shit."

Jeongin shot up, spine straight, doing his best to wipe the few tears that managed to escape. His master, surprisingly, waited until he was finished. When he was satisfied, he faced his master with his usual smile, though it faltered when he was unable to read Yeosang's expression. Yeosang surprised him once again by taking a seat on the bed next to him.

"Am I being too hard on you?"

Jeongin sat there for a bit, trying to process what Yeosang said. When he reached over and shut Jeongin's mouth, muttering about how he'll catch flies, he snapped out of his trance and looked down.

"Don't lie to me," Yeosang snapped before Jeongin could say a word.

He thought deeply about what he asked, thinking in the back of his mind that it was a test of some sorts. He decided to just be direct about his response, and said, "Yes... just a little."

"... Is it the material I'm teaching? You seem to be understanding it."

"I am???"

"Yes."

Jeongin was once again surprised. His entire basis for why Yeosang was being so rotten with him flew out the window on silver wings. He had no idea why Yeosang was so mean to him now. Although he was relieved he was grasping what Yeosang was teaching, he was still conflicted.

"So then, why do you insult me like you do?" Yeosang perked up, and Jeongin took that as a sign to continue, "You always say that I'm screwing up—"

"Fucking up," he corrected.

"...S-screwing up the medicines and making a complete frigging mess—"

" _Fucking_ mess—"

"Shut."

Yeosang put his hands up in defense as Jeongin began again, "You always tell me what a failure I am. You always tell me what I'm doing wrong, and it gets tiring—hearing about how much of a... a f-fuck up I am."

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as silence overtook the two. Yeosang being in deep thought over what his student said, and the latter being too busy worrying about the consequences of his confession to try to break the mood. Instead, Yeosang broke through with his own confession.

"I first climbed aboard this ship with Wooyoung. Woo means more than you could ever imagine to me. He was the one who showed me how amazing a Pirate's life is, and he convinced me to come out of my shell.

"Wooyoung and I were planning to leave each other for our own dreams, but we decided that if we crash and burn, we would do it together, so I followed him aboard the Treasure.

"Knowing this... you can imagine how devastating it was to see him get shot—in the very same situation Chan was in."

Just like that, Jeongin's mind went back in time to the exact moment he witnessed Chan fall in front of him. How he cried in pain but still tried to get to his shotgun to protect him, and how he screamed, saying he could still fight as Jeongin dragged him to the infirmary amidst the chaos.

He remembered sitting in the corner, curled up in a ball as he watched Yeosang pin Chan down, knock him out, and treat his injuries, and all the while he couldn't bring himself to look away. No matter how useless he felt while working under Yeosang, it didn't scratch the surface of how he felt seeing his friend, mentor, moral compass, and brother shot down in front of him, but being absolutely incapable of giving him the support he needed most.

"I was a lot like you at the time," he breathed out, bringing Jeongin back to Earth, "Though I was a bit more capable, I still felt overwhelmed. I kept thinking about the worst: that if I failed, I would be cradling his dead body. By some miracle, I was able to stop the blood flow and address the wound. He recovered, obviously, but the guilt was still there.

"I had nightmares about it for days afterwards—I still do, actually—and when I couldn't take it anymore, I did exactly what you did: I begged for guidance. I pleaded with Hongjoong to let me leave and resume my medical training and get myself a master. He agreed, and I left for my home island as soon as I was given permission. It would be another year before I saw any of them again, but as you can see, the results were worth it."

"Doctor... I can understand how this is relatable to me, but why are you telling me this?"

" ... Because I haven't been fair to you. I've never had a student before. To be honest, I'm not even sure if I'm doing this right, but I don't want you to go through what I did."

"To be honest, Doctor, I already have..."

He swallowed a lump as the vivid memory resurfaced, and silently thanked his master for being patient with him.

"June was our navigator... about 2 weeks before you found us, he was killed in battle. We decided to hide this from you all because, well... a lot of us still haven't recovered from it...

"June was barely alive when I got to him... we found him below deck with a stab wound in his stomach. He had just enough energy to say his farewells before he died... I wasn't able to save him.

Chan blames himself the most, but I know it's my fault it happened... If I had been faster, or calmer... I could've helped him. I could've at least eased the pain of his passing."

Yeosang and Jeongin once again fell back into silence, but this time it was a comfortable one. Yeosang pulled his now sobbing student into his embrace and let the boy cry his heart out.

"Battle scars come in different forms, Jeongin... The worst part about our job is that there's always a chance that you can't save everyone. Though we can try our best, we can't always stop death. It hurts, but it's a hard truth.

"However, that possibility makes it a stronger catalyst than anything else. It makes our thirst for knowledge and growth a desire that outweighs the negativity. Remember June, and use him as a catalyst to keep pushing yourself."

Yeosang moved Jeongin from his shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"Thank you for this. I promise to start taking your... feelings..? Into consideration."

Jeongin chuckled at Yeosang's scrunched up expression. "And I promise to keep going. I won't stop improving. Thank you Doctor."

Jeongin, feeling lighter than he's felt in weeks, surprised his master with another hug as the two watched the sunrise from his cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhnnnnnnggggggggggg not me getting soft- i also like this snippet a lot, but u can probably tell since it's so long. regular chapters will be somewhere between 2k-5k words each, so yeeeeeeee
> 
> song recs if u want them: 
> 
> walk on water - eminem & beyoncé  
> no idea - don toliver  
> roxanne - arizona zervas


	7. snippet: jongho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Hell & Back Snippets
> 
> this is a part of the snippet series for my story. i haven’t decided whether or not to post it, so i’ll publish the snippets and see how they do! basically, i just wanna know if anyone’s interested :’)

_...6 shillings on Zonhow..!_

_... Off with him! Tear him apart...._

_.... He barely bled! Ya call that a match?_

_... Pathetic. You barely made enough to make it to the next round..._

_... A pitiful, dirty thief! That's all you are, and all you ever will be..._

_**Shut up!** _

Jongho's eyes snapped open. He wanted to scream, but forced his mouth closed as he felt vomit well up in his throat. He scrambled out of his hammock and clawed his way up the creaking steps, out of the belly of the ship and onto the deck. He had barely made it to the rail before his jaw gave out and spilled its foul contents over the side. 

He stood there, mind and stomach empty as he lurched and sputtered over the rail. He didn't know how long he was there, he didn't even feel his knees give out under him, but the next thing he knew, he was slumped against the ship, catching his breath.

He felt drained. He couldn't feel his jaw, his throat was raw and parched, and his mouth tasted absolutely vile. It was disgusting. Covered in sweat and still feeling the strong urge to scream his lungs out into the cold night air. He sat there until his back felt stiff and awkward, and all the while he was holding back the tears he knew would fall if he let his guard down.

His eyes wandered across the ship. He was in a daze and needed something, _anything_ to distract him from the salty tears that had mixed with the taste of vomit. _Anything_ to get him out of his own head.

Whether by Eurybia's grace or a stroke of fate, his eyes trained on the infirmary. Although terribly late in the evening (or awfully early in the morning), the light of the infirmary cut through the darkness of the night, acting as a personal beacon for Jongho.

He pushed his almost entirely numb body off of the deck and began his journey across the ship to the humble light, hoping against hope that Yeosang was still awake and hadn't just fallen asleep with his candles lit.

~°•...•°~

"Get your ass inside."

"Uh—"

"I've been watching your shadow go back and forth outside of my door for 20 goddamn minutes and I've had enough. Just come in."

Yeosang opened the door and crudely let Jongho into the infirmary, muttering a "wash your mouth out." before going to wait for him in his room. Jongho washed his mouth out and drank his fill, letting the cold water calm him down. He prayed that his eyes weren't as puffy as they felt.

The smell of dry herbs and medicine clouded his senses when he stepped into the patient's area and somehow helped him relax despite being so shaken. He took a few moments to wander around, feeling a sense of comfort in seeing the shelves of medicine, books, and plants since he had always been a regular visitor.

He went around the infirmary, taking his time and enjoying every bit of it. Smelling the plants and flowers that he knew weren't poisonous or numbing, looking over Yeosang's unnaturally spotless desk, and flipping through a few of his books. He reminisced about the days he would spend cooped up on the beds with Yeosang and Jeongin hovering over him like flies, scolding him endlessly for being reckless in battle.

"Jongho!"

Yeosang's voice brought him out of his trance, and with one last look at the patient's area, he joined him in his cabin.

When he entered, he found Yeosang hunched over his second, much smaller, desk, mumbling a few things here and there that Jongho knew nothing about.

"So, you wanna tell me why you were spilling last night's dinner over the side of the ship?"

"No... not really..."

Yeosang spun around in his chair and looked Jongho up and down, resting his eyes on his slightly puffy ones for a moment before setting his glasses down with a sigh.

"Have you been taking the medication I gave you?"

"...yes."

"Don't lie to me."

"... no. I haven't."

"Jongho."

"I know! I know! I just thought—"

"You thought wrong!" Yeosang snapped, "I made that medication for you so you could sleep at night! Do you want to go back to getting no sleep at all? Nightmares every fucking night? Hongjoong calling you to his cabin almost every fucking day because you're slacking off with your chores? Is that what you want??"

"No! I just..."

"Just what??"

_"I'm sick of being drugged, ok??"_

Yeosang sat down, taken aback by Jongho's outburst. He hardly ever raised his voice at anyone, least of all Yeosang. He didn't blame him since he raised his voice first, but he did forget how scary it can be when Jongho explodes.

As he looked back up at Jongho, Yeosang noticed that the boy was well over the brink of tears. Without breaking eye contact, Yeosang rose from his chair slowly, as if trying to calm a scared animal. He slowly brought Jongho into a hug, and relaxed when he eventually felt him hug back. Still in each other's embrace, Yeosang guided Jongho over to his bed and sat them down.

"What happened?" he said once Jongho stopped crying, "Was it another nightmare?"

"Yes..."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, but..." he whispered, hugging Yeosang tighter, "I'm just... so tired. I don't want to drug myself to sleep at night. I'm tired of closing my eyes and hearing voices I don't recognize. I know you care, but I hate this. I hate my dreams. If I can't get out of my own head by myself, then I don't deserve help escaping it at all."

Yeosang listened with a heavy heart, feeling useless being able to do nothing more but run circles on Jongho's back as he confessed how utterly trapped he was. Torn between wanting to get out of his head, but refusing to take the medicine that would do it for him. And so, feeling more defeated than he has in years, he resigned himself to 'accepting' that the grand escape from the prison of his mind he always wanted was not worth it—that he wasn't worth it.

Yeosang had been sitting idly for the past week, watching Jongho lurch over the edge of the ship in the dead of night. How he would sit on the deck for hours afterwards. How his weary eyes would trail across the deck before looking back down at his lap in defeat.

Jongho had never been the type to be comforted since he believed that he didn't need such things. But after watching his crew mate—his brother—suffer alone through the late hours of the night, he decided he needed to help. Even though he wasn't very good at it, he would try his best to comfort him.

"Jongho, look at me."

Jongho buried his head in the crook of Yeosang's neck instead, refusing to show off the tears that had reared their ugly heads. Yeosang sighed as he gently lifted Jongho's head, urging him to look up, and wiping away his tears as he did so.

"Jongho, you're wrong," he said, finally getting him to meet his gaze, "You deserve to sleep in peace, and I'll do everything I can to make sure that happens on your terms. You try to hide it—and you do a damn good job of it—but you're still human. And humans have weaknesses. You have yours, and I have mine, but that doesn't make you any less of a warrior," Jongho's eyes started watering as Yeosang continued,

"Hongjoong didn't reach out to you because you're invincible, or to have you carry the weight of the world. Your humanity is the best part about you. So don't abandon your own peace of mind."

Jongho smiled for the first time that night and buried his head in the crook of Yeosang's neck for the second. He forgot how at ease he felt around his family, how nice it was to have someone to lean on when his legs gave out. He felt refreshed, and more than ready to find that peace of mind that Yeosang told him about.

"Now get the hell off!! You're heavy!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spreading my "yeosang is a sassy therapist" agenda bc i have that power now >:)) i hope u enjoyed, lemme know what u thought  
> \- spencer
> 
> song recs if u want them:
> 
> teenagers - my chemical romance   
> butterfly - loona   
> chess - nate rose


	8. snippet: mingi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Hell & Back Snippets
> 
> this is a part of the snippet series for my story. i haven’t decided whether or not to post it, so i’ll publish the snippets and see how they do! basically, i just wanna know if anyone’s interested :’)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ:  
> ⚠️this snippet has a trigger warning for graphic violence⚠️

"Captain, is this really alright? The Navy's been more restless than usual..."

"The Navy's apparent restlessness is exactly why I am doing this. Tortuga is a safe zone, and the Navy would not dare step foot here. The men are tired and need a breather."

Hongjoong stopped in his tracks and Mingi followed suit. His Captain had been locked away in his cabin with San for the past few days, only coming out to guide the Treasure through a few storms or for Navy attacks—which were becoming more and more frequent.

As Pirate King and Captain of the Treasure, he had an obligation to protect thieves and beggars of the sea alike from the recent plague of Reds, and keep his crew _alive_ while doing so. Between Hongjoong sending message after message to the Brethren and their allies, and protecting ATEEZ, Mingi was taking on more and more responsibility by the day. Keeping the crew on task, avoiding Navy ships whenever possible, overseeing and keeping track of supplies (especially gunpowder), and fending off minor enemy pirate attacks, were some of the many jobs he had now that the Sea's were seeing more of the British flag.

Despite his aching back and what he thinks might be a few gray hairs, he never complained. Mingi made a habit of never questioning his Captain's orders, no matter how bizarre they were, and he wasn't going to start second-guessing.

"Mingi, regardless of whether or not we should be here, _she_ wants us here. That is reason enough. Trust me; you need this. We all do. Take a night to yourself and let go a little."

Although he was reluctant, Mingi simply couldn't say no to the exhausted expression his Captain wore. So he nodded his head, followed the crew into the tavern, and grabbed a cup of rum to start with.

Being the lightweight he was, by the second bar fight of the night, Mingi was on the floor brawling his drunken heart out. He never meant to get this intoxicated, but with Wooyoung and Jisung challenging him to drinking contests, and Yunho being (a very bad) voice of reason, it wasn't unexpected that he not only participated in, but started the third fight of the night. As Yunho and Mingi tag teamed in the center of the bar, the rest of the crew was falling out of their seats with laughter, occasionally ducking when a poor fellow went flying over their heads. Watching Mingi and Yunho fight was one thing, but after a few more rounds, Changbin, Lee Know, Jongho, and Wooyoung had joined the duo. Before long the whole tavern was alive with screaming, the sounds of smashing bottles, and laughter.

It would be a good 3 hours before the crew got tired and joined Hongjoong, Jeongin, and Seonghwa at the table again. The majority of the men were well past tipsy, a few were passed out, and Hongjoong was the only one who was fully sober, even though he drank a sizable amount himself. Although he enjoyed having his fill of wine and never getting drunk, he always hated playing babysitter. But, like the caring Captain he was, he made sure to look after his drunk crew by threatening them with extra chores if they didn't get up. He was determined to get back to the ship before they ended up sleeping in the bar...

... Again...

"Aren't ya too young ta be ina bar, little man?"

Hongjoong looked to his side and saw five men walking towards him. Each one larger than the last with only who he assumed was the Captain wearing a shit-eating smirk that made his scarred, dirty face look more deformed than it already was.

The little man rolled his eye and replied, "Aren't you a little old to be alive?"

"Watch yer mouth boy!" another growled, slamming the butt of his blade onto the table, "Yer talkin' to Cap'n Lee of the Monsters' Locket!" If anyone in the tavern wasn't paying attention before, the bang of the man's weapon certainly drew their attention.

The man chuckled at this and moved his mate's blade away with a careless flick, "Ya know, ya look awfully familiar... Were ya atta town we burned? Eh!"

Hongjoong once again rolled his eye so far back in his head he thought it might stay there. The tavern's patrons were letting out low chuckles along with the five cackling men in front of him. Their 'laughter' was so distasteful that if Hongjoong closed his eye, he could almost see the men morph into noisy little crows.

"I would say you saw me at a Brethren gathering, but I sincerely doubt you would know what the meeting room looks like."

The laughter died down almost instantly, and Hongjoong had to force himself to take slow gulps of his drink to stop the growing smirk on his face from spreading.

"Yer a Brethr'n?"

"I suppose you could put it that way..."

A shrill yelp echoed through the once again quiet tavern as the scrawny man in Lee's pack stood on his toes to whisper into his Captain's ear. Hongjoong cocked an eyebrow in mild interest as he tilted his cup all the way back, finishing his liquor before things got messy.

"So that's why yer actin' all high n' mighty, eh?" the man chuckled as he turned his back on Hongjoong.

"You know who I am, then?"

Lee stopped in his tracks, not turning back to look, but not daring to ignore the King's question.

"... Yes."

"Then say it."

"Wha-"

"Say my name."

Hongjoong's eye gleamed in the dim light of the cavern. He licked his dry lips as he waited for the words he had grown to love so much. He wasn't one for throwing his title around, but when a simpleton laid themselves on a silver platter for him, well... how could he resist?

"Yer... yer Cap'n Hongjoong of ATEEZ... The Pirate King..."

"Yes."

"...And yer nothin' special." 

Lee straightened his back and turned around, his fake confidence returning along with his shit-eating grin. His crew looked at him with wide eyes as he spat on the floor in front of Hongjoong before walking over to him and towering over his small frame.

"Ya heard me! Y'all heard me! The Pirate King ain't nothin' special! He's a stuck up little boy playin' a man's job! And his crew is—"

Mingi had snapped out of his drunken stupor the moment he saw the man spit at his Captain's feet. In the blink of an eye, Mingi had Captain Lee on his knees in a bowing position before Hongjoong with his favorite pistol aimed at the back of his skull. His eyes were clouded with bloodlust, but he saw the unshakable fear in Lee's eyes so clearly. Lee saw the Pirate King look down upon him with no remorse as his Right Hand held him down, forcing him to display the respect that was so rightfully deserved.

"How many rounds to his head, Captain?"

Hongjoong pursed his lips and said, "As many as you'd like."

Hongjoong, Seonghwa, San, and Hyunjin hauled out the crew while Mingi stayed where he was, with his gun to Lee's head. Hongjoong briefly glanced between Lee's defensive crew, his trigger-happy Quartermaster, and his amped-up gunners and made his decision: "Meet us outside when you are done..."

Lee's men looked as though they had just been sentenced to death by hanging. Hongjoong muttered an almost unnoticeable "Don't kill them all." before walking out of the bar with the rest of his wasted crew.

Mingi waited until the door slammed shut before letting a twisted smirk make its way onto his face. When he noticed the Gunners snicker, Lee summoned whatever was left of his broken courage and turned his head as slowly as possible. When he saw the look of pure bloodlust on his captors face and snapped his head back up to the Gunners before him with pleading eyes.

"D-don't let 'im kill me!" he cried out, "M'sorry!!"

"Oh, you poor thing..."

Yunho leveled himself with Lee and patted his shoulder tenderly, unfazed by the rest of the crew that were looking oh so amused with the scene before them.

"He looks so sad! I think we should put this to a vote! Make things fair for him."

Yunho held Lee's gaze as the Gunners slowly surrounded Lee's men.

"What do you think, Chan? Should we give him quarter?"

"I don't think so."

"Changbin?"

"Nossir."

"What about you, Jongho?

"I think he needs to learn a lesson... What do you think, Hyunjin?"

"I completely agree," he muttered as he drew his sword.

"It's up to you now, Quartermaster, sir," Yunho looked to Mingi, "What are your orders?"

Mingi's smirk left his face as he pretended to think, "Well... Captain said 'Don't kill them all'... but there are worse things than death, don't you think?"

The crew snickered as Mingi tapped his barrel against the side of Lee's head.

"Disrespecting my Captain, for example. That was such a dumbass move on your part, don't you think?"

Mingi frowned as the man closed his eyes and shook his head. He cocked his head to the side and kicked his shoulder. As Lee struggled to get up, Yunho slammed his boot onto the side of his head and held him there with an innocent smile.

"He asked you a question," he hummed.

"Y-yes," he sputtered, "It was stupid! M'sorry—"

"Did I tell you to beg yet, _mutt?"_

"N-no..."

Mingi's smirk returned as he looked to the crew, who were fidgeting and ready to smash heads. He caught Chan's eye and gave a small nod, which he returned.

"Turn around, mutt."

Yunho turned the pitiful man around and made him face his crew. Mingi put his pistol away and grabbed Lee's face, forcing him to look forward. Mingi kept a grip so strong that there would most likely be very unflattering bruises, but Lee didn't even try to struggle. He saw his First Mate look at him with such fear that he felt ashamed.

"I want you to _watch_ ," he whispered.

Lee's eyes grew wide, and before he could stop him, Chan had thrown the first punch, and then the second went to Changbin. Yunho's vision went red as he went over to join the fun, and in a minutes, the floor was stained with blood, and 5 bodies were sprawled across the tavern, abused, and barely alive. The tavern's patrons looked on in horror, and ducked when the Gunners caught them staring. No one could leave until Mingi was done, but no one wanted to see what would happened next.

No one except the crew of course. As Jongho gave one final kick to a limp body, the Gunners looked to Mingi, who was dragging Lee by the collar to a corner of the bar where everyone could see him. He drew Lee's sword and pinned the man to the wall by his shirt.

"Now then, repeat after me: 'I am a worthless piece of shit'."

"I-I am—"

Mingi frowned and shot him in the shoulder. He watched as the man's face went from pure fear to agony, and willed his smile to come back.

"Don't stutter, mutt. Try again."

" _I'm a w'rthless piece o' shit_ ," he cried.

"'I am a sad excuse for a Captain and a human'," he said as he tapped the side of Lee's head with his barrel.

_"I am a sad excuse f'r a Captain an' ... a human."_

"'I lack respect for those who deserve it'."

"I lack... respect f-f'r tho— _AGH!"_

Another shot to the shoulder.

"And you were doing so well," he sighed, "Say it again."

" _I lack respect f'r those who d'serve it_ ," he whimpered.

Mingi nodded his head in approval as he shot the man in both of his thighs, before pulling the knife out of the wall and watching as the man fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Now that you've said all you need to, you won't be needing this anymore."

He grabbed Lee by the jaw and opened his mouth, bringing his blade down onto the man's tongue.

"Should I do it slowly? Or should I rip it out of your head nice and qui—"

**_BAM. BAM. BAM._ **

Mingi groaned as he tossed Lee's head aside and made his way over to the door. He swung it open and saw his Captain scowling and tapping his foot.

"Five minutes, Mingi," he said before slamming the door again.

He pouted before looking at Yunho, who cocked his head to the side in question.

"Captain said five minutes..."

"That's plenty of time, though!"

~°•...•°~

Hongjoong's men emerged from the tavern, unharmed but filthy with blood that wasn't their own. He gave them a disapproving look before handing Jeongin and Felix (who had passed out during the last bar fight) over to Yunho and leading the way back to the Treasure.

"Captain?"

Hongjoong spared a glance Mingi's way and saw at once how worried he was. Hongjoong's eye panned down to the blood on Mingi's fists before letting out a small sigh.

"Did you go easy on them?"

"No."

"I can tell."

Mingi followed his Captain's gaze down to his hands before gasping and wiping them on his pants, suddenly aware of how much blood he had on them.

"Do not track blood in my cabin, Mingi."

"I won't," he chuckled, "I'm still sore from the last time you punished me for it."

...

"I don't know why they keep underestimating you," Mingi said after a while.

"It is not that they underestimate me, but rather that they refuse to acknowledge me."

The two once again fell into silence. It wasn't unusual for Mingi to lose his temper when it came to Hongjoong and the lack of respect he gets from some. Although it doesn't happen often, it happens far too much in his opinion.

"He should have shut his goddamn mouth while he still had teeth," Hongjoong chuckled, breaking the silence.

"And a tongue."

Mingi doubled over in laughter and Hongjoong have a huff and a few slow snickers. As the crew made their way back to the ship, Mingi recounted their battle (more so beating) of Lee and his men. Detailing how they uselessly fought back and the pitiful looks on their faces as Mingi made their Captain eat every nasty word he said about Hongjoong. The Gunners talked enthusiastically from time to time when their favorite moments arrived, but were mostly content with listening as Mingi told the story with a childish gleam in his eyes.

"And then I dragged him by the collar and—"

"Mingi."

Hongjoong had stopped in his tracks, narrowing his eye and bringing a hand to his hip, where his lovely cutlass rested. The crew looked up at the Treasure and saw that lights were lit, and there was a silhouette at the helm.

"Did we leave anyone on the ship, Mingi?" he said as he swiftly drew his sword.

"Nossir," Mingi twitched as he took out his guns.

The sleeping remainder of the crew was awoken, and before long they were creeping up the riggings and onto the deck, the figure at the helm still frightfully unaware of what was happening. As Mingi took aim and fired a single shot, however, the figure moved its head, barely missing the bullet. Its blue, almost white eyes snapped open at once. They sent a ghostly chill down the men's spines as they seemed cut through the dead of the night with an unnatural glow.

_Oh, hello there._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y E A D O E. maybe it's because i'm writing this at 4 am, but i'm low key excited :D i doubt this will blow up in any way, but it's still exciting to publish something, ya know? 10/10 would recommend. have a nice day :)
> 
> song recs if u want them:
> 
> sexuality - taemin  
> zero o'clock - taehyung & rm of bts  
> leave me alone - nf


	9. snippet: anan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Hell & Back Snippets
> 
> this is a part of the snippet series for my story. i haven’t decided whether or not to post it, so i’ll publish the snippets and see how they do! basically, i just wanna know if anyone’s interested :’)

"Aweee! Solar, I knew you cared!"

"Shut the _absolute_ hell up, Anan. We wouldn't be here if they didn't tell us to help your ass."

"You're always so cold to me!"

Anan was on her tenth cup of rum, enjoying the free (stolen) drinks while teasing Hwasa endlessly. As she tossed back another cup with ease, Moonbyul scowled in disgust.

"How do you chug like that and not get drunk??"

"It's a talent, Byul," she said with a wink, and finished off her drink.

Anan hadn't had decent rum in a few years, and she was jumping to get her fill. The cherry on top was being able to spend time with Mamamoo. Any stranger with common sense would take one glance and say that they didn't like her, but deep down they did miss Anan's presence when she disappeared - just a little.

When word spread that Anan - the infamous Captain of the Black Pearl, who was known to listen to no one save for herself - was marooned on an unnamed island by her own crew, scoundrels all around the world raised their glasses with cheer. Those who didn't celebrate at the news were the unfortunate many who either had a debt to settle with Anan ("debt" as in Anan owed them great sums of money), or were simply regretful that they couldn't see her face as the Pearl sailed away from her -or better still: Shoot her in the face as the Pearl left.

Anan had more enemies and reluctant allies than those she could rightfully call comrades by choice. She was happy with her small circle, however, for she believed that the only company she needed was the sea, the moon, and a large bottle of wine.

The main members of Mamamoo were among the few that were comrades -dare they say, friends- by choice. Those in the minority were even more bothered by the news of Anan's crew marooning her being followed almost immediately by an uproar of rumors about a crew of the undead.

The rumors turned into reality in the blink of an eye. Stories of the Black Pearl attacking ships, harbors, and towns became a new cause for paranoia. Pirates, Reds, merchants, and the like suddenly had a common enemy, but only a select few had to fear a raid. According to survivors, the crew only stole specific pieces of gold, and the victims of their brutal raids were thankful that the crew would leave once they claimed their prize.

By the counts of their traumatized victims, the crew was something of another world, and their ship was straight out of a child's nightmares. The Pearl in her prime was elegant and commanding, but became a horrifying sight, and filled one with dread. Her once regal Black sails were ripped and ghost - like. Her cannons were always loaded, and never willing to give mercy to anyone until the crew's gold piece was found. The ship would glide silently across the water, a mere fraction of how striking she was, and give no warning shot before beginning her siege. The angel at her bow seemed to cry as her passengers set out. The crew would only attack during the night, with the moonlight illuminating their demented appearence.

Her crew was the living dead. Animated skellingtons that killed with hollow eyes. The wind would pass through and rattle their bones as they marched across the streets. Guns and swords did nothing to them; they couldn't die by mortal means as they were no longer completely alive. The famed walking corpses are undoubtedly EXO -the former crew of the fallen Captain, Anan- however this can only be riddled down to theory, as it has not been proven. Many say that Anan placed a curse on her crew, and "EXO"s strange behavior and appearance was the result of this.

Despite how worried they were about Anan's disappearance, Mamamoo was still reluctant to help her get from A to B. Their _intervention_ would be chaotic as hell, and they didn't know if they could survive Anan's escape plan. It was no secret that the woman was only half sane, and the amount of danger her plans had changed according to her mood -which was almost always unpredictable, and never constant.

"So... what's your plan for getting out? And how likely are we to live through it?"

Anan took a slow drink from her bottle before smiling at Wheein, who did not return her careless smile.

"The Reds don't know I'm on the island, and they certainly won't be expecting me at the fort, or the harbor for that matter... So-"

"So you're using the element of surprise to sneak past them!" Hwasa exclaimed, "I never expected such a sound plan from you!"

"No. No, no, no." Anan chuckled, "What I mean to say is: I'm going to make my presence known!"

Solar put her head in her hands as Moonbyul tilted her cup all the way back, wanting to finish her drink before Anan's 'presence was made known'.

"What are you thinking, Anan?" Hwasa snarled.

"I'm not so sure yet!" she said before chugging the rest of her bottle, "But I know it's gonna start with a bar fight!"

Without looking back, Anan swung her arm to the side and broke her bottle on the head of a passer-by. The man looked behind him to see a scrawny, drunk fellow, and threw the first punch without thinking. One misunderstanding led to the bar erupting in a frenzy of broken bottles, spilled liquor, and screaming patrons.

Anan smirked at the riot while Mamamoo scowled at her.

"I hope you brought extra gun power, ladies. When the guards get here, it'll be suspicious if you're not fighting."

"Don't lecture us about a bar fight, you heathen," Moonbyul muttered and reloaded her pistol.

"In a way, it is smart," Wheein said, ducking as someone went flying over her head, "with the guards in the area occupied by the fight, it'll be easier to sneak out! We just have to be quick..."

The five glanced at each other before shuffling out of their chairs and joining the fray, fighting just enough to blend in with the angry crowd without standing out. Though, seeing as they were women, it was difficult, to say the least.

As Hwasa fought her way through the mob with the back door in sight, an arm wrapped around her torso and a familiar pair of lips gave hers a peck. She blushed a deep red as Anan pulled her closer before striking a drunkard in the side of the head with a smirk.

"Thanks for coming, Hyejin," she smiled, leaning down onto her shoulder.

"We all came for you, dumbass... and don't call me that!!"

"Only in the bedroom, right?" she winked as Hwasa glared at her "And we both know if it were up to Solar, I'd be here alone, and what's a party without my favorite girls."

" _Girls?_ " she teased, guarding Anan's neck from a strike with her sword.

"Yes! _Girls_. How could I ever forget my beloved Hongji?? Why?" she smirked, ducking a punch and thumping her head on Hwasa's shoulder. "Is something wrong with that?"

"Not at all!" she said, as she took off into the crowd, with Anan hot on her tail. They were still laughing when they finally got outside. Solar, Wheein, and Moonbyul looked at them with confusion as they cleaned the blood from their swords.

"Will you two collect yourselves??" Solar said, poking them in the head, "It won't take long for the Reds to break up the fight, and we need to get to the harbor before they find us. Hongji is bringing the ship around for us, so we need to be waiting for her..."

Anan slipped into her own little world after that, tuning out the discussion going on around her and the distant shouts of Reds making their way to the tavern. She came back to reality when Hwasa tugged at her arm and dragged her into a back alley, following her sisters into the dark space.

"Were you even listening??" Moonbyul whispered.

"Nope!" she cheered, "And I didn't need to! I'll be getting my own transport to Point B..."

"How, exactly? You don't have ship or money."

"How does that matter when I'm a Pirate?? I've heard through the grapevine that the Reds have a new stallion of a ship! The Victory, or something like that..."

"You can't seriously be thinking of stealing it..." Moonbyul narrowed her eyes, "The Vixen is the Reds new pride and joy. She's their fastest ship so far, and heavily guarded at that... there's no way you can just walk on deck and guide it out of the port."

"Oh ye—" they crouched behind barrels as a squadron of Reds ran by, "—of little faith... You should know by now to trust my crazy." Anan gave one final kiss to Hwasa, and a salute to her sisters before dashing out of the alleyway to the port. "Until the next time, ladies! Get out safely, and give my regards to my dearest Hongji!"

~°•...•°~

Anan slowly but surely made her way to the Navy's private port. She navigated the town by its back alleys and occasionally scoped-out the area from a rooftop. In less than an hour, she had made her way to the port and stolen a uniform. She made her way through the fort, using the excuse that the Commodore was expecting her (Or rather, him, to avoid suspicion).

After dodging a few tricky exchanges and many suspecting glances, she finally arrived at her prize: The Mermaid's Eye —one of the Navy's smaller, but still very efficient, merchant ships. Anan made her way to the beach and secured a longboat. After a torturous 10 minutes of rowing to the vessel, which was anchored not too far from the shallows, she climbed aboard and immediately swapped the tasteless uniform for her feathery hat and jacket. After strapping on her effects, she quickly loaded her shotgun, hoisted herself onto the deck and fired a warning shot.

"Listen up now!" she smirked once the crew's hand's were in the air, "This ship is now mine! So get the fuck off my deck at your earliest possible convenience," she aimed her gun at the crew, "which would be now!"

"T-this vessel is under the protection of His Majesty, the King! You can't just w-waltz in here and-"

"Oh, but I can, mate," she smiled and slowly glided toward who she assumed was the Captain, "Because the thing is," she cocked her gun, "I just don't give a damn!"

~°•...•°~

"Commodore..."

"Yes, Lieutenant?" he sighed.

"Didn't the Eye just leave port?"

"I believe so," the Commodore sighed, setting his papers aside, "Is there a problem with that?"

"No sir. It's just... The crew is rowing back..."

The Commodore perked up at this. He rose from his seat and took the scope from the Lieutenant. As he peered through, he saw that the crew had indeed abandoned the ship, and were waving frantically at the Mermaid's Eye.

When the Commodore refocused on the Eye, he saw a woman at the helm. She was looked to be a Pirate, but was clearly a very bad one at that. She was steering the helm although the sails were folded and the anchor was dropped, and appeared to be talking to herself, or perhaps someone they simply couldn't hear.

He didn't care which it was, for he wasn't one to dabble in theory and superstition. The only thing that mattered to him was that a pirate (regardless of if it was a man or a woman) had stolen a British Merchant ship, and such a crime could only be repaid by a visit to the gallows.

"Ready the Vixen," he said, already merching his way down to the docks, "If that scoundrel unfurls the sails none of our other ships will be able to catch up."

"Yessir."

~°•...•°~

Anan looked back at the docks with a racing heart. The alarms had been blared and the Reds were taking the bait. They filled on to the Vixen with such determination that Anan couldn't help but laugh. The stage had been set. Now all she had to do was wait for her audience to arrive.

~°•...•°~

"Spread out and sweep this ship from top to bottom! I don't want a single barrel unchecked. You are to capture her alive."

As the Commodore and his men turned the Eye upside down searching for Anan, the Pirate in question was atop the Crow's Nest, watching the Reds swarm around like a colony of fire ants. She chuckled at the thought before sneaking her way down to the yardarm. Her nerves spiked but her smile grew wider as she took a leap of faith and swung from the Mermaid's Eye to the Vixen.

She ran across the deck to the helm, cutting the ropes connecting the Vixen to the Eye as she went. And just like that, the Vixen was leaving the Navy's port for the first time, with a pirate (or perhaps more notably, a female pirate) at its helm.

Anan looked to the horizon with a bright smile, and left the distant sounds of gunshots and jeering behind her.

~°•...•°~

_"The Vixen's set sail!!"_

Gunshots were heard as the Commodore rushed above deck to see the Vixen sailing away with the alleged woman pirate at its helm. She was out of range for their guns, and they couldn't possibly swing back onto the ship. From such a distance, he could still make out the blood red bandana the woman had on her head, the hat she wore on her head, and its worn-out feathers. He could practically feel the cockiness radiating off of her stance -shoulders back, a hand on her hip, resting on her pistol, with the other on the helm, and her head up high, with eyes set forward, never back. He could picture her smirk and the thought alone made his blood boil.

"Prepare to set sail. She will not be leaving the Port."

"Sir, we'll never be able to catch her-"

"We don't need to catch her," he shot back, "We just need her to be in range of the cannons."

"We're going to shoot our own ship, sir??"

"I'd rather have her sunken and forgotten than at the hands of a pirate."

The Lieutenant, though reluctant, relayed the Commodore's orders. The crew sprung to action -loading the cannons and preparing the sails. But no sooner had they started that a report was given: "The rudder chain's been disabled!"

As the Commodore rushed to the helm, he stopped in his tracks upon seeing a carving mast. He scowled at the wood and read the sloppy, frantic handwriting.

**"Remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Anan."**

~°•...•° _~_

_..._

_And there they lay, aye, damn my eyes_

_Looking up at paradise_

_All souls bound contrariwise_

_Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum_

_..._

Anan opened her compass, watching it spin for a few seconds before having it set westward. She adjusted her course and took a swig of rum, feeling sweet relief to be back on a proper ship again.

"Now then... let's get to Point B."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYOOOOOOOO WE IN DIS BITCHHHHHH i'm ready, are u ready?? cos i'm not, anygay-  
> if u kept reading, thank u :') i appreciate any hits and comments i get, although i'm mostly doing this bc i gave into peer pressure- 
> 
> song recs if u want them:
> 
> american idiot - green day   
> twiddles - misbehavin' maidens   
> brick by boring brick - paramour


End file.
